Flight of Leelu
by TheLadyIntegra
Summary: "Her new master was a volatile sociopath at best, and evil incarnate at worst." Or how after an unfortunate and messy incident at the Kazekage manor, Leelu's life is upended when she becomes the unwanted property of one Gaara of the Desert. Armed with the worst expectations and the lowest standards, she finds herself thinking he's not so bad. Animeverse with alternate events.
1. Prologue

A/N: New year, new me, new fanfic.

Here's what you need to know - Orochimaru never roped Suna into his schemes, the Fourth Kazekage is still alive, Gaara never attended the Chuunin exams in Konoha and never got his face smashed in with the awesome power of friendship. Our story begins with a 19 year old Gaara that went through puberty under the thumb of his father, sans Naruto's influence. Enter my poor OC.

* * *

Prologue:

Leelu stumbled on the sand again and for a moment she teetered on the steep ridge of a dune, the three distinct figures ahead of her wavering in the heat. She regained her balance by furiously waving her arm and cleared the ridge with a wheeze, her footsteps taking her forward onto sturdier sand. She adjusted the heavy pack on her back with a shaking hand and continued on her way, breath heavy.

The sun beat down on her face as she squinted at her companions' backs, half relieved and half disappointed when they showed no signs of noticing her near tumble. She lowered her gaze again, allowing the white sheet of cloth secured to her head to shade her face. She trudged along, watching her feet land one in front of the other, obeying the gruelling and merciless pace they had set. They hadn't stopped once, hadn't spoken a single word to her or each other since leaving Suna. They just walked, the three of them always a disheartening distance ahead while Leelu pushed herself to keep up.

She didn't know if all Shinobi were this inhumanly fit, or if the Sand Siblings were just particularly practiced at long treks through the dessert. The acted like the sun wasn't glaring at them, like the rolling dunes that sprawled never-ending on the horizon weren't hot enough to fry eggs on.

When Leelu dreamed of escaping Suna, it had never been like this. She never could have predicted that her first voyage into the outside world would be accompanied by an infamous triad of deadly Shinobi – who, _apparently_ , didn't need to drink. No, they subsisted on stern silence and unfair levels of stamina alone, while Leelu quietly dehydrated behind them. Would they even stop if she dropped dead, or would they just avoid her corpse on the return trip?

She wiped peach coloured strands of hair off her sweaty, sand-crusted forehead, and tried really hard to ward off a negative spiral. The Sand siblings weren't exactly know for compassion, but at least the worst they'd done was ignore her.

Temari traveled on the left, her iconic four-ponytails swaying in tune with her gait. She carried her impractically large fan on her back, a burden she shouldered with far more grace than should be allowed. What kind of weapon was a fan anyway? It was established lore in Suna that Temari was more deadly than a dessert cobra, but how she achieved that reputation with a weaponized fan was beyond Leelu. She was beginning to realize how sheltered from the Shinobi world her life had been, despite growing up in the Hidden Village. Was the fan really sharp? Or did she hit them with it like a club? How effective could waving it at an enemy really be?

Kankurou's weapon was even more mysterious, though context led her to believe it had to be some sort of puppet. Kankurou travelled on the right, dressed in a traditional black puppeteer costume. He was a puppeteer Shinobi, so the big, bandaged, man-sized _thing_ on his back with the tuft of what looked suspiciously like human hair sticking out the top was probably a puppet. Hopefully. She had been trying not to look at it too closely. The endearing, cat like stubs atop his cloth-hat were better to focus on.

The weapon of the third Sand Sibling was the only one she thought she understood. Gaara was the most notorious of the three, and the giant gourd he carried was a helpful red flag to all in Suna. If you saw those distinctive black designs and calabash shape the recommended practice was to drop what you were doing and find somewhere else to be. Gaara of the Desert was a bloodthirsty fiend that controlled sand with his mind, and carried it in a gourd everywhere he went to help him spread calamity and death. He was malevolence made flesh, the weapon that Suna despised and coveted. A 'Jinchuuriki' - a demon container.

Leelu had heard so many stories about this man and if even one of them were true he was a monster. His hair was that shade of red because he showered so regularly in blood. He drank it too – soaked it up in his sand and devoured it like gory mud-soup. He killed men, women and babies indiscriminately and that was the only time he ever smiled. The monster that lived inside him wouldn't allow him to sleep and devoured his sanity at night, which was why his unsettling, pale eyes were smudged with charcoal markings and why his personality was so unfortunate. Many of the sandstorms that hit Suna were just the aftershocks of a psychotic tantrum he had thrown, way out in the dessert where no one could hear his enraged screams. He once killed a man for stuttering.

Etc.

The latest rumour was that someone had been stupid enough to try and poison what, by all accounts, was the unholy avatar of the Devil himself and the events that followed had been predictably messy. Leelu had heard that the Kazekage's estate was now short-staffed by a half and they had been cleaning blood and viscera off the walls for days.

This sort of gossip – exchanged in hushed voices with inappropriate levels of excitement – was just about the only entertainment Suna freely provided to someone of her social position. By the time these reports reached her small corner of the world - the slave quarters in Councilman Natsuo's home – she tended to assume the workforce grapevine had done its thing and the details were somewhat embellished. Leelu certainly embellished when she shared the tales – she was pretty sure she started the rumour about the blood soup. That was the fun of it.

But she had recently learned through more reliable sources that Gaara of the Desert had indeed been poisoned two weeks ago, had indeed gone beserk, and – most relevant to her current predicament – had promptly quit eating. This was not common knowledge, because allowing it to get around that Suna's ultimate weapon was wasting away on a diet of pure paranoia would be a "diplomatic disaster", as her master had put it to her that morning. No one really liked to acknowledge it, especially not Natsuo, but Suna's best weapon was also its best defence and when you're the Hidden Village equivalent of a playground bully, a good defence is key.

Leelu wasn't sure how much longer Gaara's condition could have remained unnoticed without intervention. She had seen him around the village on a few occasions, and the man had always had a spectral quality but now he was positively wraith-like. His pale skin was marred with the shadows of hollow cheekbones, his red trench coat hung noticeably loose on his frame. The only reason he was able to travel through the desert in the blistering heat with a literal ton of sand on his back was because he'd been popping soldier pills like candy.

She didn't know what Gaara's long term plan was – if it was true that he had never slept, maybe he just assumed that universal medical consensus didn't apply to him and starvation was totally survivable. Who knew what went on in a mind like that. All Leelu knew was the chain of events that had led her to this mess.

Her master wanted to gain favour with the Kazekage. The Kazekage's son had been poisoned and gone even further off the deep end than usual. Then, after almost two weeks of starving he'd demanded a mission ( _to sate his hunger with blood_ , some part of her mind whispered almost mischievously) and the Kazekage had been at a loss. On the one hand, Gaara was in no shape for a mission. On the other hand, he was in good enough shape to make life very unpleasant in Suna if he didn't get his way. She was sure Natsuo had been salivating at the situation by the time he traded her life for that small, appreciative nod he'd been gunning for since he entered politics when they were sixteen. The Kazekage could barely convince his slaves to remain in the same _house_ as Gaara without mutinying, let alone get them to _help_ the man who'd probably killed a few people they rather liked. Gaara apparently wasn't sold on the idea of help from anyone, but Leelu had been a necessary compromise to get him his mission.

Natsuo made headway on whatever dumb political agenda he had going on, the Kazekage got an easy solution to an annoying problem, Gaara got his mission and Leelu got a new master.

She was now the official property of Gaara of the Desert, and the pack she carried was filled to the brim with healthy, nutritious trail rations that she would dutifully test for him so he could start eating again. Leelu had questioned the rational of this being a legitimate counter-measure to poison. What if she tested the food and everything seemed fine, but it turned out to have been a slow poison? Then they'd both be dead.

But apparently, Gaara's immense Chakra and other mysterious qualities gave him a certain level of immunity to poisons. Basically, if a lowly slave like Leelu didn't die immediately from sniffing it, the poison wasn't potent enough to kill Gaara.

On the topic of immunity, Leelu found herself hoping once more that her status as gatekeeper to a steady food supply would keep her alive and unharmed through this journey. If she did survive, she knew that her life would be irrevocably changed. Her new master was a volatile sociopath at best, and evil incarnate at worst.

Only time would tell, but Leelu vowed to do everything in her power to keep the man satisfied. She would not be another forgotten victim to Gaara of the Desert. She would make herself useful and keep him as close to happy as he ever got.

And then one day, when she was stronger, she would learn how to fly and leave Suna far, far behind.

* * *

A/N: So this is the first thing I've written in like...almost two years. Got into Naruto over December and over the last week scenes have just been popping into my head relentlessly. This is the first time I've properly plotted out a story, and the first time I know exactly how it ends in my time as a writer. Leelu is also the first OC whose character I feel like I truly grasp. I hope you enjoy getting to know her.

Anyway, this little prologue is a big step for me. My folks divorce three years ago knocked my muse off a cliff but it looks like that sucker survived the fall, and finally the words are flowing again. It would mean so much if you could leave a review.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1.**

They had been travelling for almost six hours, judging by the height of the noonday sun and Leelu's mind had regressed to some lower level of brain-function. She had stopped noticing the scorching sand that scalded the exposed skin on her feet, or the sweat that dripped into her eyes and blurred her vision. All that mattered was to keep moving forward.

"Gaara, let's take a break." Leelu's head lifted wearily at the sound of Temari's voice.

' _Oh please dear lord in heaven let this not be a cruel illusion.'_

Temari and Kankurou had both already stopped, while Gaara's footsteps came to a belated halt slightly ahead of them. He didn't say a word and for a morale-breaking moment Leelu feared he'd just carry on walking.

"C'mon, Gaara," Kankurou said gruffly, "I want outta this damn sun for a bit."

Leelu wasn't sure where Kankurou imagined they'd do that when they were surrounded by dessert on all sides and the sun was at its apex, but she heartily agreed with the sentiment nonetheless. Gaara raised his hand to the sky. Leelu had the ridiculous thought that he was making some sort of dramatic 'onwards!' gesture. Her heart sank.

' _No way…Master, please have mercy.'_

A moment later, her heart nearly leapt right out her chest in fright. Four pillars of sand exploded from the ground and spiraled into the air. Leelu shielded her face from the blowback with wide eyes and a slack jaw as the sand coalesced above the Sand Siblings' heads. It was over in seconds. Gaara had produced a make-shift shelter before the kicked up sand even had a chance to settle. She lowered her arm and gaped at the effortless display of power.

Leelu drifted forward in a dreamlike state of exhaustion and wonder. Tired feet carried her up a slight incline and she placed a trembling hand on one of the sand pillars. She examined it with undisguised curiosity. Coarse grains of sand shifted under her skin. When she gave an experimental push, the pillar was solid. She tilted her head up to stare up at the dark canopy of sand above them, lime-green eyes filled with awe. Everyone knew that Gaara could control sand, but to actually see it done was like nothing she could have imagined. It was…otherworldly. It was downright _magical_. Her power didn't even come _close_ –

"You, stop gawking and get out of the sun already."

Temari's strict voice snapped her out of what she would later consider a mild existential crisis and Leelu jumped away from the pillar guiltily. Temari's hand hand was on her hip, her leg cocked, and she gave her a stern look. "Don't you have a job to do?"

"Yes, of course!" Leelu squawked, dropping into a hasty, apologetic bow. She stepped under the sand gazebo and hummed appreciatively, deep in her chest.

Shade, glorious shade. The relief was immediate and breath-taking. She made her way to Gaara's side with tentative steps. Her new master was sitting on the sand with one leg outstretched and the other pulled to his chest, his elbow resting lazily on his knee. She knelt delicately at his side, trying her best not to just collapse into an undignified heap, and examined him cautiously. Gaara had been at the head of the pack, seemingly driving their pace all day. She was surprised to discover he wasn't taking their travel as well as she'd thought.

His hunched form was stiff, that monstrous gourd hovering inches above the sand behind him as if he refused to fully relax. His dangling hand trembled ever so slightly. He scowled determinedly at nothing in particular, his eyes heavily lidded and she recognised that glazed look of exhaustion. He was all angles and hollow cheeks, his blood red hair dampened with sweat. He looked awful, and not much like a demonic vessel that could conjure unceremonious feats of architecture with a wave of his arm.

Temari and Kankurou were comparatively fresh-looking, removing their weapons with sure hands and settling gracefully onto the dune.

Well, Temari was graceful. Kankurou just flopped onto his back next to his bandaged weapon and threw an arm over his eyes. The four of them formed a small circle in the shade. Temari produced an apple and began carving into it with a blade that didn't look like it was designed with fruit in mind. They weren't showing nearly as much strain and while at first she had carelessly assumed the break to be for her benefit, she now wondered if the siblings weren't just looking out for their brother. It was a weirdly comforting thought. It made them all seem more human.

Leelu shrugged off bag her between her Gaara's hips. It landed with a heavy thump, kicking sand onto both their legs. Her master ignored her and she played with the bag's straps nervously. She peeked at him through her bangs and the cloth framing her face. He wasn't so frightening, not on the surface.

' _He's just so…so…'_

' _..._ _ **grumpy.**_ _'_

That was it. He had no eyebrows to frown with, and yet somehow the muscles of his face compensated with a taught, sullen expression and a burning gaze that communicated a deep and abiding displeasure with the world at large. Leelu was partly grateful that he hadn't turned those unshakably hostile eyes on her and partly unsettled that he had yet to acknowledge her presence in any way at all.

"Master? Are you ready to eat?" She would take her chances with the initiative and hope that if she did something wrong, Gaara would correct her in a non-lethal manner.

He didn't look at her but after a long moment, he nodded. Leelu opened the bag and rummaged until she located what she was looking for, pulling out a sealed cup. She chewed her lip. He was still glowering at some unknown point in the distance and gave no further instruction. She cracked the seal and peered into the cup, wrinkling her nose. The contents looked even less appetizing than she remembered.

"I, um, made soup to start off with. It's better not to have solids if you haven't eaten in a long time, so it's…" she looked up and choked on her own nerves.

He had finally expended the minimal amount of bodily effort to look at her and she wished he hadn't. He pinned her with a one eyed gaze that made her heart race and her hair stand on end. Leelu swallowed and rallied heroically.

"I-Its mostly a vegetable broth, with some bone marrow for protein." She held out the cup. The soup sloshed audibly in her trembling hand.

Gaara glanced down at it then his eye narrowed. For a moment she thought it was skepticism for her cooking and felt dismayed. Then she remembered the full extent of her new duties and felt appalled.

' _Why am I only a fool at the worst possible times?'_

"Oh right! I forgot!" She took the cup back and clutched it tightly, heat rushing to her face and making her dizzy. "Forgive me, it's just I made it myself so I didn't think…but I mean obviously, to you that's…" she cut herself off with a whimper.

' _It'll be a miracle if he doesn't kill me before sundown.'_

She took a swig from the cup and winced. Gaara watched her carefully.

"I'm sorry. I tried to make it bland but tasty, Master, but I think I only succeeded at the former."

She held out the cup again, cheeks coloured with embarrassment and shaking with anxiety. When Gaara still wasn't taking the cup she filled the stressful silence with more foolish words, trying to reassure him.

"It's not poisoned, Master, it's just m-maybe…maybe kinda subpar. I'm not a very good cook, but I didn't want to take any risks so I made it all myself and I watched it carefully so no one else touched it!"

He continued to stare balefully.

' _I hate that look in his eye. He's dying and still can't bring himself to trust me? If he doesn't accept my help we're screwed – both of us are!'_

"Holy shit, have mercy on the poor squirt and drink the fucking soup, Gaara," Kankurou groaned. He had turned his head, raising his arm just enough to give them an annoyed look. "She's shitting herself and its giving me a headache!"

Leelu cringed.

' _Is he trying to get me killed, or himself?'_

"He's right," Temari said, gaze predatory. "Besides, she'd already be dead if there was any foul play."

' _You're trying to intimidate me, but it's true right? There's obviously no poison!'_

She was nodding in animated agreement when she felt fingers brush against hers. Gaara took the large cup from her hand, and had no visible reaction to taking his first sip. Not even a grimace at the taste.

She slowly sagged with relief as her master's attention drifted back into the distance. It may be with cold, menacing silence, but he was accepting her. She could do this. She just needed to tread carefully.

' _He's just a starving man, and I have what he needs. Everything will be fine.'_

"Take it slow," Temari advised Gaara softly.

"Ugh, you're so creepy when you get motherly, Tem," Kankurou groused. Temari kicked his leg and he grunted in pain, but didn't retaliate.

They ate and drank in silence and Leelu felt some of her strength return to her. The crackers and dried fruit she'd hastily shoved into her bag were barely enough to sustain her for four days, so she savoured every nourishing bite. Kankurou wandered off to relieve himself, and when he returned he flopped back into the sand. He lay on his side, head held on his knuckle, and gave her a slanted, calculating look. It was slightly less intimidating thanks to the kitty-cat hood, but she still stiffened nervously.

Kankurou scratched the back of his knee with a sandal clad foot. "So what'd you say your name was again?"

"Satake Leelu, sir."

"Uh-huh. And you were owned by Councilman Natsuo, right?"

"Yes, sir."

' _Where is he going with this?'_

"Natsuo?" Temari interrupted sharply, "Isn't he that pompous little brat that's always trying to suck up to the Kazikage?"

Leelu coughed to cover a startled laugh. Kankurou snapped his fingers in affirmation. "That's the guy. But I just remembered something else that's interesting." He looked straight at Gaara. "His dad was Councilman Hiroto."

' _Oh shit, I know where he's going with this.'_

Gaara had been staring blankly into his cup and now he slowly raised his head. He met his brother's eyes and _something_ about him seemed to stir to life. "I killed Councilman Hiroto," he volunteered softly. His voice was low and rough, coarse like his sand. It was the first time he'd spoken, and it was to admit to the only thing he'd ever done to hurt her.

Leelu squashed her emotional reaction with an iron will, blinking rapidly to clear the sudden sting in her eyes.

"You stepped on his house when you let the Shukaku rampage for the first time." Kankurou confirmed, gaze shifting to Leelu. She hid her pain with a stubborn jaw and a stiff nod.

"So let me get this straight," Temari drawled, "Gaara kills this kid's dad, and now we're supposed to believe he sent you here to _help_ him."

' _I really am an idiot sometimes.'_

Shinobi were suspicious by design, and yet somehow she hadn't seen this inevitable interrogation coming. As if it wouldn't be hard enough to navigate this job _without_ being suspected of espionage.

"I _am_ here to help him," she defended, knowing she needed to put this line of questioning to bed as soon as possible. "You obviously know what sort of man Natsuo-sama is, and frankly he's wanted to get rid of me for some time now. I'm a slave, not a spy or a secret assassin!"

" _Really?_ " Kankurou narrowed his eyes."Cause for a slave, you're real wordy. Never met one that babbles so much."

She flinched, feeling herself losing all control of the situation and turned desperately to Gaara. "Master, please. I've been told before that I don't know my place, and I apologize for that, I promise I can learn!" He met her imploring gaze with a frown. "But l-like I said, Natsuo-sama has wanted to get rid of me for a while. He just jumped at a chance to do the Kazekage a favour and here I am. No tricks or schemes or bad intentions, just me. I swear it. I'm here to help you, nothing else."

Gaara seemed less than moved by her words. He shoved the mostly empty cup at her chest, ignoring her frightened squeak, and rose fluidly to his feet. Leelu stared up at him in panic, wondering if her life was over.

But her master just pivoted on his heel with a dark look and stalked off over the dune. The sand that had been sheltering them seemed to come alive and move like liquid.

Temari and Kankurou both grabbed their belongings and jumped out of the way. Only Leelu remained – upset and confused – when the sand gazebo collapsed on her head.

She cried out, flinging an arm up protectively and spitting out a mouthful of sand a moment later. It didn't hurt, but she was stunned and once again subjected to the glaring sun. She blinked rapidly in shock, her vision adjusting to the overwhelming brightness.

Temari and Kankurou stood before her with mixed looks of pity and amusement. "Get up," Temari told her, then gave the cup – now filled with sand – a severe look, "And don't litter, bring that with you." She turned to follow her youngest brother. Kankurou lingered to give her a grin.

"Y'know, I'm actually thinking Natsuo probably isn't dumb enough to send a spy that could be traced directly back to him."

"One would hope, but let's keep an eye out shall we," Temari said caustically over her shoulder. Kankurou shrugged and left Leelu to get to her feet, alone and miserable.

She pulled her bag from the sand and brushed it off. Thankfully it had already been closed, and the food wouldn't have been disturbed. She removed her head cloth and shook it out, then tugged on her loose grey shirt. She gave a little wiggle to dislodge any remaining sand, and then fixed her head cloth back in place.

"You act like _he_ needs protection from _me_ ," she mumbled dejectedly, shouldering her bag and jogging after them.

* * *

There was an oasis somewhere in the Hidden Village, but Leelu had never seen it. Most of Suna's water came from a vast underground water reserve, and only the wealthy had access to it directly. Leelu's slavery had been fortunate in at least that sense – Councilmen were all pretty well off, and she had never had to haul barrels of water to and from the reserve office just to do laundry.

Water was rationed strictly in Suna, but the Oasis was something of a private resort. She had been amusing herself with thoughts about the place for years, and she relished any gossip relating to it. It was apparently quite the hot-spot for adulterers. How had Momo put it?

' _A great place to take your mistress when she's pissed you won't leave your wife.'_

She would miss Momo.

The Oasis was unique because it was the only place in Sunagakure where the underground water breached the surface. There, Suna's most affluent citizens could pay exorbitant amounts to spend their time swimming – a novel concept to Leelu – and looking at trees.

Leelu had seen trees. In drawings. She'd also caught a glimpse of green above the tall walls surrounding the resort. It had always been a fantasy of hers, to somehow sneak into the Oasis and see the trees up close. She'd picture it in the dead of night, just her alone on grass instead of sand. What would that feel like? She'd climb every single tree. She'd bathe in the moonlight, in a body of water big enough to drown in. And then because it was a fantasy, she imagined raiding one of the resort restaurants for sweets.

It was just a silly dream, of course. Leelu only broke the rules if she thought there was a good chance she could get away with it. It might be fun to try and work out how she could pull it off, but the Oasis in Suna was always busy, and always guarded by Shinobi bitching about "D" rank missions.

It was alright though, because she knew she'd see a tree someday. Hell, she'd see forests and lakes that made the Oasis look like a sad little puddle. She knew she just had to be patient.

She wasn't prepared for her wait to be so abruptly and unceremoniously cut short.

It had been getting steadily darker and colder, and the sun was just slipping below the horizon when Kankurou and Temari reached the crest of a tall due.

"Fuck me, finally," Kankurou exclaimed, and the pair of them disappeared over the other side. Leelu tried to step in Temari's footprints to make the climb easier, but it only helped a little and she was gasping for breath by the time she reached the top of the dune.

She staggered on the last step and froze with her hands on her knees, staring down in shock.

There was so much green. The dune led down to a basin of water, small for a lake but bigger than anything Leelu had ever seen. The water shimmered in the final light of day, more green than the bright blue she had imagined. And around the water's edge…

Trees. Beautiful, green, robust trees. And brush, and tall reeds and crickets.

She could hear them singing as she got closer. Gaara was already unbuckling his gourd by the time his siblings joined him under one of the larger trees. Leelu stopped where the sand met the grass and quickly took off her sandals before continuing, flexing her toes with each step.

She brushed her hands on everything in her path, experiencing the roughness of tree bark and the waxy coldness of the reeds. She trailed her hand up the stem to a bulbous brown growth, but it was fuzzy and that creeped her out. She shook her hand out with a shudder.

Kankurou, who had been watching her with interest, chuckled. "It's called a cattail. You never seen an oasis before?"

"Councilmen don't travel very often," Leelu replied distractedly, watching a vibrantly colorful bug hovering over the water and darting between the reeds, "I've never even left Sunagakure." She gave him a look full of emotion. "It's beautiful."

Kankurou averted his eyes and cleared his throat. "Yeah, it is."

Then Leelu stepped on a patch of ground that squelched loudly and jumped about a foot into the air. "Oh, gross! It's also wet and- and _fuzzy,_ in unexpected places." She scurried back onto dryer land.

Temari was digging up the ground between two jutting tree roots when Leelu joined the other pair. While on the surface the earth seemed like hard, yellow sand, underneath it was dark and sticky-looking. It was filled with leaves and twigs and wriggly little worms, and Leelu suddenly wasn't sure how she felt about sleeping on it. Gaara leaned against the tree, watching his sister work with folded arms. Temari's blade hit something with a loud thud.

She put down the knife and cleared away the earth. Beneath it was a crate, insulated with canvas and filled with water. Gaara crouched down and filled his flask in silence. Then he held it out to Leelu.

Temari and Kankurou shared a tired look, but didn't say anything. Leelu took the flask, wondering if there was actually a chance someone had poisoned the Sand Sibling's secret fresh water supply or if Gaara was just that paranoid.

' _Best not to dwell on it.'_

She dutifully took a sip.

She counted to twenty in the tense silence that followed, and when she was still alive and feeling perfectly fine she returned the flask. Gaara sank back, leaned against the tree and drank greedily, Temari and Kankurou following his lead with their own flasks. Leelu found herself watching her master for a moment too long, and he shot her a mean look. Water dripped from his mouth and fell from his jaw, making him look quite animalistic. Leelu, thoroughly intimidated, averted her eyes and backed away respectfully.

Temari and Kankurou began gathering wood for a fire, and since Leelu had no further instructions from Gaara she attempted to help. A few minutes later, Temari informed her about a problem called 'wet wood', and that nothing she'd gathered was useful.

Leelu was told to sit, and she settled near her master with her back against a tree root and a stick in her hands. She frowned at it thoughtfully. It _seemed_ dry enough. She tried to snap it, but it bent and the bark peeled, revealing sticky green sap. "Huh," she mused, rubbing her fingers over the gooey substance, "Wet."

She became aware that she was being watched and glanced up to see her master giving her an odd look. Or rather, looking at her as if she were odd. "I didn't know this wouldn't burn," she explained, before tossing the stick away and wiping her hands on her pants. "Are you hungry, Master? If you'd like to wait for the fire I can warm up your meal?"

Gaara nodded, but continued to glower at her for far longer than was socially acceptable. She sat there uncomfortably, wishing he would stop. He only diverted his discomforting attention when Temari and Kankurou returned, arms laden with wood. Temari threw a stick at her. It bounced off her head.

"Ow." Leelu picked up the stick with one hand and rubbed her head with the other.

"That's what dry wood looks like," the Kunoichi informed her, settling down her load and proceeding to kick away dirt and leaves, leaving a rough clearing of hard packed-dirt.

' _You seemed more interested in teaching me what it_ _ **felt**_ _like, Temari-sama.'_

She gave her smarting brow one last rub before snapping the stick cleanly. "Oh. Yes, I see."

A fire was burning and food prepared soon after. Leelu sat beside Gaara while he ate, lazily soaking up the heat of the fire. The temperature plummeted in the desert after sundown, and her clothes weren't made for it. Slaves all wore the same variation of drab grey as their uniform. Her tunic was loose and flowy, and had a habit of slipping off her left shoulder, courting sunburn during the day and leaving her exposed skin chilled at night. She had removed her cloth hat, and played dully with the end of her long braid.

She was still so hungry, but at least she was warm. And stationary. That was very important to her.

A bowl of half-eaten stew was thrust in her face just as her eyes were beginning to droop. She blinked at it in confusion, then startled out of her daze to give Gaara a wide-eyed look. He had his arm outstretched to her as he stared into the fire. The flames danced in his eyes, making them glow eerily. "Master?"

"I'm done," he muttered. Leelu obediently took the bowl and tried not to salivate. Her cooking was below average, but it looked mouth-watering to her just then.

"Then…may I please finish it?"

Gaara gave her a side-eyed look of disbelief. Leelu immediately backpedalled. "I mean, it's fine if you say no, if you don't want me to. Would you like me to keep it for you, for later?" she offered anxiously.

"No," he growled, looking back at the fire. He was so fiercely intense – she couldn't read him at all.

' _Does he mean no you can't have it, or no don't keep it for later?'_

Leelu's grumbling stomach led her to follow the more generous interpretation and she picked up Gaara's used spoon, eyeing him uncertainly. When he ignored her, she began eating without a second thought. "Thank you very much," she remembered to say as she finished, mumbling a bit around her last mouthful of rice.

Temari got to her feet and threw her arms up in a stretch. "I'm gonna go wash up," she said after a small yawn.

"Later," Kankurou mumbled, already half asleep with his hands behind his head and his eyes closed. Leelu watched Temari walk off into the brush with a sudden pang of longing.

"Master, may I be excused?" she held up his empty bowl, the picture of sincerity. "To do the dishes?"

Gaara either didn't hear her, or he was stubbornly refusing to answer.

' _Well, silence basically means "permission granted" with this man, right? He'd say something if he wanted me to stay.'_

She jumped to her feet and began eagerly gathering up the cooking pot and other empty bowls. She bowed to Gaara before she left. "I won't take long."

As she shuffled past Kankurou, he scoffed, "Dishes. _Sure_." Leelu had the sudden urge to kick him

She would do the dishes, obviously. Just not before enjoying a bath in the moonlit oasis

Temari was naked but for a holster on her thigh when Leelu arrived. The Kunoichi was untying a series of complicated straps as Leelu set the dishes down gently in the grass. Temari hadn't travelled far, but they were hidden from view and there was a stretch of riverbank bereft of reeds.

"May I join you in the water, Temari-sama?"

"Sure, why not?" The holster dropped to the ground with a heavy thud and the clink of metal. There were other small weapons strewn among Temari's clothing. She had left her fan back at camp.

Leelu thanked her and began stripping down. She sighed when she released her bindings. Her breasts sprang free, nipples hardening in the cold air. Every crease she had felt drenched with sweat and crusted with sand. She was chafing in places one should never chafe, and so very, very tired.

She gave Temari's strong form an envious look. It was hard not to admire that sleek musculature and powerful thighs. The woman was _fit_. Meanwhile Temari raised an eyebrow and gave her chest a look of grudging respect. The two women made eye contact.

Leelu grinned sheepishy, and Temari answered with a small smirk. "C'mon," she said. The Kunoichi entered the water until she was about waist deep, then dived into it confidently. Leelu was more hesitant, unsettled by the mud that squished between her toes. Temari resurfaced with a quiet splash.

"You can stand safely over there," she pointed and Leelu nodded uncertainly. The water was warm, a lot warmer than the air, and once she got over her issues with the mud she waded into it gratefully. She stopped when the water covered her bottom, and crouched down with a blissful sigh, submerging herself up to the neck.

"Oh man that feels good," she moaned, rubbing grit off her skin, "Let's never leave."

Temari chuckled. "I'll admit it's a relief after a long day."

"Wait." Leelu stood, "I didn't think I wanted to wet my hair, but I've changed my mind," she explained, running back up the bank to deposit her only hairtie safely on her clothes. She sprinted back to the water, shivering and running her hands through her braid to detangle it.

Temari treaded water and watched her intently as she wet her hair and began scrubbing at her scalp. "Those scars on your back," she said suddenly, "What happened there?"

Leelu stopped scrubbing and sighed.

' _I always forget about the scars.'_

"Oh, uh. I was flogged." She said it in an offhand, casual manner. It was a long time ago. She survived.

Temari looked unsettled and swam closer. "But those scars are old."

"About thirteen years, yes. I guess you would be able to tell."

Temari was scandalized. "Someone flogged a _child_?"

Leelu thought it was nice she at least disapproved, in principle. "It doesn't happen often, but every now and then…Well, I was one of the unlucky ones I guess."

"What did you do?" Temari asked, and Leelu realised her interrogation had begun anew. The Sand Siblings were trying to figure her out and it was tiresome. She had her secrets, but they were personal and had nothing to do with Gaara. She had no hidden agenda.

"It's a long story," she warned.

"Fine by me."

Leelu steeled herself. If opening up would convince Temari she could be trusted, she guessed it was worth the emotional strain.

"Natsuo-sama's father, Master Hiroto. He was…good to me."

'S _hit. I will_ _ **not**_ _cry right now.'_

She cleared her throat. "He taught me how to read and write, and even let me play with Natsuo-sama when we were children. He was strict, but very kind." She took a deep breath, watching her peach hair floating around her. "His wife never liked me. After Master Hiroto died, she was devastated and became…abusive, for a time.

"She didn't like the fact that Natsuo-sama was friends with someone like me, someone so below his station. She forbid us from playing together and I guess we just ignored her one too many times. She snapped and…gave the order. I was eight."

Heavy silence descended while Leelu collected herself. In all honesty, she didn't remember much about that day. She had passed out pretty much immediately, but that hadn't forestalled her ten lashes. What she remembered better was the weeks of agony as her back healed and she was forced into gruelling task after gruelling task. She was fortunate to be blessed with a strong immune system, so that none of the deep wounds ever became infected.

Leelu carried on in a steady voice she was quite proud of. "Natsuo-sama never treated me the same, after. It's like he forgot we were friends. But he stepped in for me, once or twice...when I messed up badly enough. Drove his mother nuts." Leelu smiled wanly. "She's been pushing for him to get rid of me for years."

"Why didn't she like you?" Temari asked quietly.

' _Trust a Shinobi to immediately sniff out the heart of the matter.'_

Leelu told half the truth. "She didn't like that Hiroto-sama gave a slave special treatment, I suppose. Or that he let me taint her son with my friendship."

If she sounded bitter, Temari didn't comment on it. The Kunoichi examined her intently, something like sympathy in her eyes. That didn't stop the interrogation though.

"Why _did_ he give you special treatment?"

' _I swear she's like a goddamn bloodhound. Can Shinobi_ _ **smell**_ _secrets?'_

"As I said, he was a very kind man," Leelu lied smoothly. Temari 'hm-ed', but Leelu wasn't going to say anything further. Her secret had died with Councilman Hiroto and it would stay buried until she was good and ready.

"I've noticed you haven't said a single thing about your mission." Leelu decided to go on the offensive. "Is it because I'm around, or are you normally this closed-lips about it?"

Temari parried with a bland smile. "We don't know you. We don't trust you. And even if we did, civilians don't get told Shinobi business."

' _Civilian, huh? Better than slave, I guess.'_

"Fair enough. I'd kinda figured that, but – "

"You must hate Gaara."

Leelu spluttered. "What? No I don't!"

Temari raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like he killed the only man who was ever kind to you. Why wouldn't you hate him?"

Leelu waved her hands furiously, making little splashes and small waves. "I don't hold a grudge for that, I know the Shukaku was largely responsible. He couldn't have even been much older than me at the time."

"He was six," Temari confirmed darkly. Leelu did some quick math. Gaara was only nineteen? She had been on this earth for two whole years before his bloody red head poked into the world. How weird.

"Well, like I said. I don't think you can really hold a six year old accountable for their actions. I'm sad that he died, but I don't blame Gaara-sama."

At this, Temari became extremely sceptical. To be fair, Leelu didn't know _when_ to begin holding Gaara accountable for his evil actions, but it was surely a while after age six.

' _Ten? Twelve maybe? Oh God,_ _ **puberty**_ _. Glad I missed that.'_

The truth was, Leelu didn't know _what_ to feel about her new master. His history was drenched in blood and despair, and she feared him for it. But he was too much of a mystery to fully condemn. "He's very…quiet. And, um…angry. He's intimidating."

Temari smiled dryly. "He's always been that way." The smile fell away, replaced with something thick and haunted. "But these past two weeks have been different."

Leelu nodded in understanding. She mused how strange it was that Gaara was so otherworldly and dangerous, and yet he could still be traumatized and haunted by painful experiences. In a way, he was just as fragile as anyone else. He probably hated it. Being human sucked sometimes.

"I want him to trust me," she admitted. She was putting her life at risk, and he couldn't even feel safer for it. What good was she to him like that?

"Forget it," Temari said bluntly, "Gaara doesn't trust anyone."

Leelu frowned at her. "Not even you and Kankurou-sama?"

"Hah." Now Temari was the one who sounded bitter. "He tolerates us more than anyone else, but he's still waiting for the day we turn on him."

Leelu wondered how many times people had tried to kill Gaara. Not just in battle but in the dead of night, when his guard was down. Probably a lot of times. She heard things, working in a Councilman's home. Things about the Kazikage - how many times his own father had tried to get rid of him. After so many failed assassination attempts, the man had to be absolute damaged goods emotionally. No wonder he stopped eating.

Her face fell. She really had no chance with this guy.

Temari noticed her gloomy expression and threw her head back with a sigh.

"Gaara was…before this shit happened, he was getting better. He was almost like an actual person. That poisoning was the first assassination attempt in years and I honestly don't know how he'll process this in the long term.

"But, look…if you want to survive just do your job and stay out of his way and he'll pretty much ignore you. And if you start to hear noises from the gourd, get as far away as you can. Trust your instincts if they tell you to run. That's the only easy thing about Gaara – you'll know when it's time to be afraid."

It was Leelu's turn to be sceptical. Temari's advice was pretty depressing and she didn't have much faith in it.

She had been slapped for her insolence several times without ever seeing it coming. Mostly because she tended not to realise when she was being insolent. Councilman Hiroto's kindness had left her with some sort of inability to grasp her place in the world, and not even the flogging had taught her the lesson. She always tried to be respectful, but some quality about her still seemed to come across as irreverent and cheeky.

In other words, Leelu's instincts for danger were not to be trusted and she was very aware of this. Trying to navigate this situation with Gaara felt like being forced to poke a wasps' nest repeatedly with nothing but the thin prayer that the wasps stayed asleep. In this metaphor, the wasps represented her master's innumerable emotional issues and the stick was the innumerable things she might say or do…or not say or do…to rub him the wrong way.

But she thanked Temari for her wisdom, and later that night when she lay her head down in front of the fire she thought that maybe the oldest Sand Sibling had a point.

Gaara had done absolutely nothing violent or threatening so far. He brooded very menacingly, but she could get used to that with time.

Leelu watched him leave camp and stalk off, tired eyes following him inevitably into the dark. She was asleep a minute later.

* * *

A/N: Alright, I hope you're starting to understand Leelu better as a character. And become a bit intrigued with her history. I'm gonna warn now that this story will be the _slowest_ of burns. I'm creating a headcanon persona of what Gaara would have grown up to be without Naruto, and it aint pretty. The heart of this story will surround their relationship with each other - it's romantic drama, not so heavy on the plot. Strap in for a bumpy ride, folks.

And please leave a review if you have time :)


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N:** I'm gonna dedicate this to Madelight.

 **Chapter 2:**

Leelu woke with a gasp. It was still dark – she was drenched in sweat and curled into a tight ball, facing the smouldering remains of a fire. The details of her nightmare began to slip away, like sand between her fingers, and her galloping heart slowed to a trot. She groaned and massaged her eyes with her palms. Her dreams were ever stressful, and she often woke like this – filled with adrenaline and a bad taste in her mouth.

The ground beneath her was hard. Every part of her hurt in a new and unique way. Her feet were cracked, her back ached, her legs and shoulders were stiff and she was already developing a headache. The previous day's travels had absolutely wrecked her and she only had more of the same to look forward to.

As a general rule, Leelu tried not to curse her existence first thing in the morning. Some days were harder than others.

She lifted her head and peered over the smoking coals, sluggishly assessing her surroundings. Two of the sand siblings were still asleep. Temari lay on her side with her back to the fire, Kankurou with his hands behind his head and his ankles crossed. He had removed his hood the previous night and Leelu found him to be surprisingly cute, even with all that purple face paint. He looked good with a shaggy head of brown hair, his rugged profile peaceful in sleep.

He was drooling, and that made her feel slightly better about her day.

Leelu arched into a deep stretch and gave a fierce but silent yawn. Tears of exhaustion were leaking from her eyes as she rolled onto her back and linked her hands on her stomach. A great tree bowed over their camp. Leelu stared at the dark canopy with half-mast eyes, watching the fading stars as they twinkled dimly between the leaves. She guessed there was less than an hour left before sunrise.

Movement in her periphery made her turn her head with a snap. Hidden in shadow, Gaara sat at the base of the very tree she'd been admiring, silently watching her.

Leelu was deeply disturbed by this, but couldn't stop herself from breaking into another yawn. "Good morning," she whispered tiredly, because it would be awkward not to address him and not because the morning was good. Did he want something from her, or did he just like menacing her for the hell of it? "Do you need anything?"

When he didn't reply, Leelu nodded and went back to watching the leaves, trying to ignore him.

It was absolutely blasphemous for a slave to loaf in front of their master like this, but she was still sleepy and Gaara was weird. Her attention and efforts to be helpful only ever seemed to annoy him. She meant no disrespect, but the man honestly looked better-off left alone and yesterday he hadn't cared what she did unless he was hungry.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Gaara get to his feet, silent as a ghost. Leelu's breath hitched and she froze, wondering if she'd made a grave mistake being so relaxed with him.

Soundless footsteps prowled towards her. Lime-green eyes followed his approach, tense hands flattening over her stomach. Leelu keenly felt her defencelessness and prayed she hadn't done something wrong. A maroon coattail fluttered heartstoppingly close to her forehead as he walked right past her, not sparing her prone form a single glance.

Gaara stalked into the camp, manoeuvred around the fireplace and came to a stop next to his brother. Poor Kankurou snored softly, completely oblivious to the dark presence that now hovered over him. Leelu couldn't see Gaara's face, but his arms were folded in a recognisably uptight manner and she could imagine his expression well enough by now.

Gaara scrutinized his brother in hair-raising silence. She was just beginning to grow concerned about this intensely creepy behaviour when her master jerked his leg back and gave his counterpart a solid kick in his side. Kankurou launched up, cradling his undoubtedly bruised ribs with a yell.

Leelu shot up in alarm, propped on her elbow with one hand braced on the ground, poised to get the hell out of there at a moment's notice. Adrenaline flooded her. Her master had done violence for the first time, and it rattled her deeply.

Kankurou rubbed his side and looked up, giving Gaara the dirtiest look she had ever seen. Leelu held her breath. Gaara turned and walked away, as silently as he had arrived.

She was still trembling when Kankurou found the courage to curse at his brother's back, "Dammit, Gaara, there are other ways to wake a man!"

Her master didn't deign to respond.

Temari stirred. "He kick you?" she murmured over her shoulder, as if it were a regular occurrence.

Kankurou ran a hand over his mouth, making a sound of pure exasperation and displeasure – the sound of a man who'd been tormented by many such rude awakenings, if Leelu had to guess. She relaxed slightly. It was fine. This was apparently normal.

"Yeah. That little brat. Time to go."

"Guess so," Temari sighed, getting fluidly to her feet. She looked well rested and alert. At least Gaara hadn't kicked his sister. In Leelu's experience, a man who'd strike one woman would just as easily strike another.

Her fright left her, and in its wake she felt drained. Leelu slumped back in the dirt, miserably cursing her master's impatience.

Another long day of travelling awaited her.

* * *

She wasn't sure why, but it came as a real shock the first time Gaara threatened to kill Kankurou.

She knew they were a dysfunctional group - Gaara had more trust issues than all the Hidden Villages put together, and the other two seemed to only stick around out of a stubborn sense of duty. There was barely any affection between the three of them.

And yet, she could sense their loyalty to Gaara.

Whatever fear Temari and Kankurou held for their little brother didn't stop them from guarding him. Gaara treated them with callous contempt, and they took it on the chin. They obeyed him without question and minimal complaints.

Or at least they did, until Kankurou finally snapped and stood up for himself.

No, she would learn - 'dysfunctional' didn't even _begin_ to describe their twisted family dynamic.

The puppeteer Shinobi had been huffy with Gaara all day, clearly nursing a grudge about being kicked. With every small interaction between them Gaara grew meaner and Kankurou's mood got worse. By the time late afternoon came around, Leelu could feel how the tension had risen.

The Sand Siblings were living ghost stories, the darlings of Suna's military. Feared by civilians and despised by councilmen – the progeny of the great Kazekage himself. But they rapidly lost their mystique in the miserable desert heat. She looked to her side to confirm that Kankurou was still glaring a hole in the back of her master's head and sighed internally. This continued for several miles, the shadows growing longer and the air growing thicker.

Then Kankurou suddenly tripped and ate a face-full of sand. The two women stopped and stared down at him. Temari gave a weary sigh. Leelu blinked curiously.

' _I didn't know Shinobi could fall on their faces like that.'_

Kankurou shot up on his arms, spitting sand and immediately singled out his brother. "The hell, Gaara?!" he demanded and got to his feet, "You got a problem with me today or something?"

Gaara had continued up the dune ahead of them. Leelu's eyes widened as he came to a halt, darting anxiously between the two brothers.

Her master turned and crossed his arms, wearing a foreboding look of disdain. "I always have a problem with you," he said dispassionately, "And you don't need my help to make a fool of yourself." Leelu's mouth fell open in astonishment. This was the most he'd spoken in the two days.

Kankurou sliced his arm through the air and took a step towards him. "Fuck you, I _know_ you tripped me just now!"

She was absolutely flabbergasted by this accusation until she remembered Gaara could manipulate the very ground they travelled on. She looked down at her feet worriedly. But surely he would never do anything so…

"Or maybe you're just weak," her master sneered.

'… _Childish.'_

The puppeteer Shinobi growled and took another step up the dune.

"Kankurou!" Temari snapped, making Leelu jump in fright. The Kunoichi raised her hands in supplication and gave Gaara a sweet smile. It transformed her face, her stern features softening prettily.

"Everyone's just on edge because of the heat, right? Let's let it go and move on, Gaara."

Kankurou scoffed at her. "Uh-uh, no way. I'll let it go if he admits he did it, the little shit."

Temari's smiled dropped. Leelu began slowly edging away.

"You're feeling brave today, Kankurou," Gaara murmured, sending chills down her spine. His voice was soft, almost conversational, but something in his eyes had gone feral. He was especially terrifying when the gourd began to vibrate on his back, a low drone humming through the air.

' _If you start to hear noises from the gourd, get as far away as you can.'_

Leelu had frozen in fear, and couldn't follow Temari's advice. She watched with a sick sense of anticipation as Kankurou took an offensive posture.

"You know what, little brother?" he snarled, "I think I am. Because _you're_ weak as a fuckin' kitten right now, aren't you? I bet I could take you." Temari slapped her hand to her forehead with a groan.

Gaara's face broke into a delighted grin, all bared teeth and wild eyes. He looked absolutely batshit. "Do you want to find out?" The gourd's stopper shot towards his brother like cannon fire. Leelu was just about pissing her pants at how quickly this nightmare had escalated.

Kankuro's arm moved in a blur, catching the cork before it could take out his eye. A lithe cord of sand rose from the desert behind him. Leelu screamed mindlessly, "Look out!"

Her warning made him turn just in time to spot the whip before it struck. Sand coiled around his shoulders and tightened like a lasso, pinning the puppeteer Shinobi's arms to his side. It climbed his chest while he strained to break free, curling sinuously around his throat. His yell of protest was abruptly cut off by a strangled gag. Leelu covered her mouth in horror as Kankurou's feet left the ground and lifted into the air, kicking uselessly.

"Gaara, come on," Temari entreated, admirably composed for someone watching one of her siblings suspend the other in a potentially deadly stranglehold, "Don't do something you'll regret. Put him down."

Gaara was too absorbed by his brother's struggles to acknowledge her. For the first time, he looked completely relaxed – almost entertained. The sand undulated and tightened, eliciting another satiating cry of pain. "You still can't challenge me."

"And you're still-" Kankurou retorted with a choked gasp, "-a _brat_!"

Gaara's face darkened, whatever momentary gratification he'd found in taunting his brother abruptly replaced by aggravation. Kankurou cried out as he was whipped into the air and slammed back into the dune. There was an explosion of sand that knocked Leelu on her ass, where she promptly curled into a protective ball.

The dust was settling as she lowered her arms and opened her eyes. Kankurou sat up, half buried in a small crater but otherwise unharmed. He pulled off his hood and ran a hand through his hair with a groan, squinting into the sun until his brother's shadow fell over him. Gaara stood on the sand above, hands flexing at his sides.

Cowering mere feet away, Leelu was mercifully ignored. The brothers glared at each other with mutual dislike, and for the first time she could recognise the family resemblance. Paralyzed by anxiety, she waited for one of them to make a move and prayed she wouldn't become collateral damaged if she remained very, very still.

Gaara folded his arms and observed in a low tone, "You've been annoying me all day."

Leelu would later classify this ominous non sequitur as Gaara's version of an olive branch.

Kankurou gritted teeth. "Sorry. Guess I just woke up in a _bad mood_ for some reason."

"Get over it," Gaara suggested coldly, not an ounce of repentance or sympathy in his regard, "Or I'll kill you."

Leelu shivered, all hope that this might just be a brotherly squabble evaporating in the wake of that dark promise. Kankurou fumed in silence and her master made as if to leave, but then paused as if he'd remembered something. He thrust out his hand. Leelu flinched instinctively. "Give it back," he said, curling and uncurling his fingers towards his counterpart.

Kankurou excavated his arm from the dune and threw the cork he'd still been holding with a resentful level of force. It sped through the air and plummeted into a flash of sand that emerged like a prehensile arm from the gourd, stopping the plug inches from Gaara's nose. He didn't even blink. The sand deposited the cork on his outstretched hand, then slunk back inside the gourd with a quiet hiss.

Leelu watched her master secure the cork and storm off with dumbfounded eyes.

' _That's it? It's over?'_

She breathed out a shudder as Gaara disappeared over the top of the dune, leaving her overwhelmed with stress and re-evaluating everything she'd thought she understood about the Sand Sibling's familial rapport.

Temari, oblivious to Leelu's racing thoughts, approached the crater with a sigh. "Well," she commented dryly, "He's lively today."

Kankurou climbed out of his hole with a grunt and started beating sand off his clothes. "I preferred him when he was starving."

Leelu startled and furrowed her brow at him, trying to work out how serious he was. He looked pretty sincere.

"We should be happy our little brother is feeling better."

"I'm fucking ecstatic. Now move it, you're in my way."

Temari pressed a hand against his chest as he tried to shoulder past her. "Don't push him too much," she warned, "You know how unpredictable he can be right now."

Kankurou sagged, then threw his head back with a groan. "I know. I know, alright?" He looked down at his sister, grimacing. "He's just such a pain in the ass."

Temari stepped aside and shook her head wryly. "I know." She raised an eyebrow at Leelu as he left. "You okay?"

' _Who knows, at this point?'_

"I'm fine, Temari-sama," Leelu answered politely, forcing herself to stand without shaking. She brushed off her legs and hid her troubles behind a small grin. "Thank you for asking."

* * *

They crossed into the Land of Rivers at nightfall. A sheer cliff – at least fifty feet high – bordered the Suna desert as far as the eye could see. Temari and Kankurou approached the rock-face at a sprint and leapt into the air.

The Shinobi pair found purchase on invisible handholds a third of the way up. Several inhumanly acrobatic manoeuvres later, their shadowy forms disappeared over the top. This was a familiar sight to Leelu – in a Hidden Village, one got used to ninja flying around above the streets, treating rooftops like stepping stones. She followed Gaara's more sedate pace towards the base of the cliff, staring up at the looming bluff with apprehension. It was awfully vertical.

' _Do they expect me to climb this?'_

A familiar hiss caught her attention and Leelu looked down to see the sand shift beneath her master's feet. He lifted into the air, perched on a solid platform that detached from the ground and levitated effortlessly above it. Her eyes widened in awe.

She knew very well that Shinobi could do strange things – had already witnessed some of Gaara's ability first-hand. Every story she'd heard fixated on combat and the many interesting ways ninja had discovered to kill a person. Power was measured through battle-prowess and successful missions, and in that regard her master was powerful indeed.

But this was something else – this control over sand eclipsed mere combat utility. It was innate, instinctive. It was so _familiar_. The implications struck her like lightning. She _understood_ this. This was telekinetic ingenuity. This was magic.

Gaara was not a Shinobi. He was a wizard.

And he could _fly_.

Leelu didn't have much time to process this discovery, because Gaara was already ascending and she had a funny feeling he was about to leave her behind and never look back.

"Master, wait!" she exclaimed, jogging over and slapping a hand on the hovering platform before he could abandon her on it. It was like slapping concrete, and its ascent came to a sudden stop. Moonlight illumined his features as Gaara looked first at her imploring face, then down at her presumptuous hand. Pale, Charcoal-bordered eyes narrowed in disbelief, as if he couldn't fathom her sheer nerve.

"Um, could I-?" she patted the sand surface awkwardly, "Could I perhaps catch a lift with you? If you don't mind?"

Gaara looked like he would mind very much. His gaze filled with cold suspicion, his hand flexing ominously at his side. Leelu suppressed a shiver, wet her lips and begged, "Please?"

After several long moments of hair-raising scrutiny, he folded his arms and turned his stare to the rock-face in front of him. "Hurry up," he ordered tersely.

"Thank you," Leelu sighed in relief.

Gaara waited, motionless and stiff as ever while she braced her palms on the floating platform and hauled herself up beside him. The platform bobbed under her weight, but remained otherwise stable and airborne. Leelu settled primly on her knees, hoping her added burden wouldn't hinder him too much and secretly looking forward to the ride up.

She lurched forward with a scream as the ground fell away beneath them at a stomach dropping speed. She grabbed a handful of her master's coat and huddled against his leg, anything to anchor herself while weightlessness and the deafening rush of air overpowered her senses. Her hair and clothes whipped about wildly, her ears popped. In a matter of seconds the platform beneath her came to an abrupt halt – roughly fifty feet in the air.

Leelu continued into the sky without it, scrabbling at the sand for purchase and holding onto Gaara's coat with a white knuckled grip. Gravity reluctantly remembered her and she collapsed in a trembling heap, prostrated beside her master.

A whip of sand lashed against her hand and Leelu released his coat with a flinch and a soft exclamation of pain. She sat back onto her knees as they began a forward descent, thoroughly dishevelled and pale with shock.

Temari and Kankurou waited for them as they floated over the cliff's edge. The platform deposited them on safe ground, shifting back into a lifeless heap of sand when Gaara dismounted and stalked away without a word. Leelu sank into the discarded pile with a shudder and clutched her heart.

She was breathless – terrified and exhilarated all at once. Moonlit valleys and forest covered hills sprawled before her, a striking view that Leelu barely acknowledged. She could only exist in those few moments of weightlessness and rushing air. She replayed the feeling over and over, never wanting to forget what it felt like to _fly_.

It was power. It was fear and freedom. It felt like being alive.

Leelu laughed, unable to stop herself. The soft peals travelled in the cold night, startling her Shinobi companions. Temari raised an eyebrow in concern.

"I think you broke her," Kankurou deadpanned.

Gaara scowled at her over his shoulder, tremendously irked by her nonsensical giggles. Leelu hastily composed herself, not wanting him to mistake her genuine delight for mockery. She waved an apologetic hand and quickly wiped away tears.

"Forgive me, Master, it's just…" she gave him a watery grin. "If _I_ could travel like that, I know I'd never walk anywhere ever again."

* * *

Forests, she discovered, were dark and treacherous places at night. Gone were the moon and stars, gone the smooth and uncomplicated landscape. Leaves crackled with every step, punctuated by snapping twigs and soft curses. Leelu tripped blindly over roots and fallen branches, got snagged and tangled by unseen brush.

Her Shinobi companions were like living shadows below her, only quieter. They navigated down steep forest terrain as if it were the open desert, and not filled with random drop-offs and clawed bushes.

Leelu fell off one such drop-off, landing on her ass and sliding down the forest floor with a yelp. Someone grabbed her by the scruff as she sped past them, and Leelu came to a strangled halt moments from being impaled on a jutting treebranch. She gagged, choked by her own tunic, and stared with wide eyes at the menacing point of the bough.

' _This place is a death-trap.'_

"Yeah, maybe we should call it quits for tonight," Kankurou drawled, hauling her to her feet.

"Yes, lets. Her stumbling is giving me a headache," Temari's voice agreed, a faceless silhouette at their side. "No offense."

"None taken," Leelu responded weakly, massaging her throat.

"Gaara?" Temari queried.

When Gaara voiced no objection, Kankurou seized Leelu by the arm and began dragging her along beside him. They no longer travelled down the incline, but seemed to have taken a sharp turn to the left. Leelu stumbled several times, but her escort kept her mostly upright.

They soon reached a stretch of clear, level ground and Leelu collapsed in a grateful heap when Kankurou declared the area, "Good enough," and left her side.

She huddled in the dark while he and Temari began gathering wood, surreptitiously straining her eyes to spot her master's distinctive shadow. He was nowhere to be seen, but a creepy prickling at the back of her neck made her paranoid that he was nearby and watching her. She shivered and hugged her knees to her chest.

The feeling went away when the fire was lit, filling the clearing with warm, flickering light and revealing Gaara to be nowhere in view. Temari noticed her searching and instructed, "He won't be gone long. Get to work on dinner."

Now technically, Leelu wasn't supposed to take orders from anyone but Gaara. This was stipulated in her bondage contract and emphasized very carefully when Natsuo signed her over. She had the feeling this was his attempt at parting advice – as if Natsuo really cared if she got herself killed when he knew damn well he was handing her over to an unstable murderer.

Well Natsuo could shove it – he had no idea what Gaara needed from her to be happy, and she was already beginning to form her own ideas. She obeyed Temari's command without hesitation, confident that her master would approve.

She set about preparing their meal while Kankurou pulled a massive fallen log closer to the fire and seated himself on the moss-covered bark with a huff. He ripped his hood of his head and ran a hand through his hair, looking almost as worn out as she felt.

True to Temari's word, Gaara crept into their midst moments later. Leelu jumped when he walked past, not having heard him sneak up behind her back. He began unbuckling his gourd with deft hands, ignoring all of them.

"I've started dinner, Master," she offered. His eyes flickered towards her briefly before he slid the leather harness around his chest off his shoulder and set the gourd down with a heavy thud. He settled on the leaf-covered earth with his back against the log, inches away from Kankurou's dangling leg. Kankurou glanced down at the blood-red head of hair beside his knee. The corner of his lips twitched before smoothing.

Gaara crossed his arms and legs – shoulders hunched in that familiar pose of defensive aggression - and bowed his head, eyes falling shut under a stern brow. Leelu watched the shadows play over his gaunt face, eyes lingering on the red kanji tattooed on his forehead. Why did Gaara choose the word 'love'? Did he not understand what it meant, or was he self-aware enough to be wearing it ironically?

' _Or was that mark given to him without his consent?'_

Leelu became lost in thought. She brushed greasy, peach coloured bangs from her eyes and touched the seal on the centre her forehead - the brand that identified her as slave.

The Hidden Village of Suna had been built on the backs of roaming desert nomads and prisoners of war, captured and flung into servitude by the first Kazekage after the Warring States Period. In its infancy, Suna was little more than a military base utilized for its strategic location in the arse-crack of nowhere.

The Land of Wind was a natural deterrent to invading forces, and it would have been a natural deterrent to any form of settlement were it not for Shinobi intervention. Almost a century later, Suna was a flourishing village ruled jointly by the Fourth Kazekage and the Council of Twelve – home to powerful Shinobi families and civilians alike.

The village's slave community was less prevalent than during its foundation, but the practice had never been abolished and remained a staple of society. Slaves were captured or traded, and branded with the hourglass-shaped symbol of Suna – the very same mark Shinobi etched into their forehead protectors. Some were burned into the flesh, though tattoos were considered more humane. Particularly in the case of children.

Leelu's seal was different. Just like every Satake for the last four generations, the sand symbol was embellished with the kanji for 'traitor' and monitored closely from birth. It was an inevitable curse and her secret blessing – Councilman Hiroto's most baffling act of mercy. If he hadn't falsified her seal, hadn't lied for her to everyone while teaching her how to hide her secret…

' _Why did you save me? Why did you do any of it?'_

Leelu sighed. She would never understand her first master, because Gaara had buried him in a mountain of rubble thirteen years ago. She rubbed her slavemark aggressively. Life was full of grim ironies. It didn't help to dwell on them.

She continued preparing their sloppy stew and soon Temari and Kankurou had settled into a heated debate about which weapon's store in Suna was best. Leelu mostly tuned them out, too tired to care about how the addition of carbon increased a blade's 'edge retention'. She was stirring a pot on the fire when she first took note of the dried blood.

She examined the back of her hand in dismay, recognising the result of Gaara's silent rebuke from earlier. With so many aches and scrapes, she hadn't noticed the dull sting. It was just a graze, no worse than a skinned knee. It troubled her nonetheless. It was her first punishment and she felt marked by it beyond the physical sense.

The paperwork had been settled in Suna, but she hadn't felt truly owned until Gaara signed his signature into her flesh. She scratched the flayed skin and came away with dried blood and sand. She rubbed the grit between her fingers. This was an acknowledgment of her existence – of his possession over her life.

' _A beginning…'_

Uneasy and in need of a distraction, she looked up to watch Temari draw a mean looking dagger from her sleeve and begin a condescending salespitch on its many virtues. Kankurou rolled his eyes skyward.

"Temari, even if it had been blessed by the spirit of the First Kazekage himself, you still would have got ripped off! No blade is worth that much, I'm telling ya!"

"Oh yes, because the junk you collect from 'Strings and Sharp Things' are all value for money," Temari said with a scoff, "How many times have you had to replace Karasu's offensive weaponry again? I swear you buy crap just so you'll have an excuse to tinker around some more when he breaks."

Kankurou pulled a face. "Sister, you've been brainwashed to believe it don't work unless it's some imported designer bullshit. My 'crap' does the job just fine, and I don't have to mooch off anyone else when the lunch bill shows up. You know I've kept the receipts right? You _will_ pay me back."

Temari pointedly ignored this. "Gaara," she demanded, looking down at her youngest brother, "You've been listening. Settle this for me?"

Gaara – who she'd been convinced was napping – opened his eyes and slanted his gaze towards his sister. Leelu watched curiously as Temari flipped the blade in her hand and leaned past Kankurou to present him with the handle.

"Oh, come on!" Kankurou grumbled, "Gaara's never paid for a weapon in his life, how is he the higher authority here?"

Leelu was surprised when he slowly reached up and took the dagger from her hand, having fully expected him to dismiss his siblings' petty argument. His willing participation intrigued her. Temari sat back, smirked in satisfaction and said, "I think he's had enough experience with them to weigh in. Right, Gaara?"

Her master studied the blade in silence and ran a fingertip over its edge, pale eyes lazy and dispassionate. Holding the dagger in his right hand, he pulled up the dark maroon sleeve on his left arm. He dexterously twirled the dagger into a reverse knife grip, and Leelu realised a second too late what he was planning.

She shot to her feet with a cry and an outstretched hand as Gaara plunged the dagger towards his exposed forearm. "Master, stop!"

The air froze. But for the crackling of the fire and the soft rustle of leaves swaying in the breeze, only one other sound filled the oppressive silence. Leelu's eyes widened in disbelief. A writhing barrier of hissing sand surrounded the point of the knife, hovering just over his skin. She paled, looking up to see three sets of eyes pinned on her. Her staying hand shook while she lowered it to her side. Her mouth went dry. "I-I'm so sorry," she stuttered, "I thought… "

' _That you'd snapped because you're basically just an unhinged collection of issues?'_

Gaara held her in place with an icy regard and gave the dagger a white knuckled twist that made the sand hiss and flare in protest. Horror made her break into a cold sweat and Leelu stepped away from the fire to give him a deep bow, eyes squeezed shut in dread. "I'm so sorry, Master, b-but I thought you were endangering yourself and I spoke out of turn. I meant no disrespect, I swear. P-please forgive my impudence, I beg of you."

There was a loud, sharp crack and an offended gasp from Temari. Leelu flinched and looked up. Gaara's eyes remained steadfast on her stooped form while he lowered his arm, the sand barrier dissipating into the air like mist. The blade glinted in the firelight – now sporting a visible fracture along its length.

Leelu followed the jagged crack while her heart thudded a terrible drumbeat in her ears.

' _He did that because of me, I'm sure of it. To…to_ _ **scare**_ _me or because I've made him real mad? Oh shit, shit, shit – '_

He jerked his wrist and spun the knife between his long fingers in a motion too quick to follow. He shoved the handle towards his sister while staring daggers at Leelu. Temari retrieved the ruined blade with a dismayed frown.

"Why though?" she lamented.

Gaara folded his arms and scowled at his trembling slave.

"Told you," said Kankurou smugly.

Leelu waited on tenterhooks for his reprisal. She couldn't imagine what had possessed her – to _dare_ to command him was downright suicidal. Such flagrant insolence simply could not be overlooked, no matter how motivated by concern and no matter how lenient the master – even Hiroto-sama would have scolded her.

Surely a man like _him_ would punish her dearly. Her injured hand began to sting, a reminder that Gaara could flay the skin off her bones without moving an inch. She clenched her fists, felt sweat bead on her forehead.

' _Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shi –'_

"You're burning my food," he said bluntly.

Leelu could only blink, lips parting in confusion. "Huh?"

Gaara's eyes narrowed, as if daring her to make him repeat himself. She straightened out of her bow and jumped to attention. "Oh! Yes, sorry – of course!"

The stew had indeed become burnt and she stirred the pot with fervour, all the while feeling her master's hostile attention focused squarely on her. Temari and Kankurou returned seamlessly to their good-natured bickering – apparently oblivious to the malevolent energy emanating from their younger brother.

Leelu spent the rest of the evening convinced that Gaara was furiously plotting her demise and handed him his poison-free dinner with a heavy heart. She knelt on the ground before him as he ate and stared determinedly at her knees, caught between fear and crushing sadness. The way he looked at her left no room for doubt.

' _He_ _ **hates**_ _me...'_

Leelu knew what it was like to be hated – to be despised and abused no matter how hard she tried. She had developed a thick skin, but some part of her had never learned how not to take it personally. There was an old wound in her soul that craved approval and acceptance, a longing that overshadowed even her self-preservation.

It made her foolish and sensitive, vulnerable to the rejection of a man who killed for sport. She shouldn't be pained by the loathing of a monster that barely tolerated his own family, shouldn't care if he found no value in her as an individual. So long as he believed in her usefulness as a tool he might keep her alive. That was the only goal she should concern herself with, not silly dreams of a master like Hiroto-sama.

Gaara had _taken_ Hiroto-sama from her. While it was true that she didn't blame him for that terrible night, it was still highly messed up to desire a similar relationship to the very one he had stolen from her. She _should_ hate him, should be _gratified_ if he lost his mind and stabbed his own arm.

But it was no use – she was so tired, and something inside was too broken to be convinced by logic. Gaara despised her and it _hurt_.

Worn down by physical exhaustion and emotional strain, she began to cry silently. She hid her face behind her hair and tried to control the hot tears that fell without her consent. She was humiliated and scared when her master held out his almost empty bowl. She reached for it, only for him to pull it back at the last moment.

"Look at me," he commanded harshly. Leelu winced and knew she had no choice but to obey.

Watery eyes and a tear stained face peered up at him from behind peach-coloured tresses. For a moment, Gaara almost seemed to recoil – his brow furrowing as though she had disconcerted him.

Then she blinked and saw nothing but a cruel sneer of contempt. He flung the bowl at her without warning. She jumped in fright when it landed on her lap, catching it hastily before it could spill its remaining contents over her pants. Her breath hitched as he got to his feet and loomed over her.

"Gaara?" Temari questioned cautiously. Leelu shrank beneath his threatening figure, barely able to withstand the weight of his displeasure without succumbing to animal panic. More disobedient tears filled wide eyes and fell before she could stop them, blurring the evil countenance above her.

She expected to be struck down by the hand that twitched at his side, or for the gourd beside him to come alive and devour her flesh in a whirlwind of sand.

She did not expect Gaara to walk away, snagging the gourd and throwing it over his shoulder as he went. Leelu watched him disappear into the shadowy forest out of the corner of her eye.

' _What just happened?'_

"The hell was that?" Kankurou muttered, unknowingly echoing her own thoughts. "He's all over the place today."

Leelu scratched her injured hand until she drew fresh blood, barely noticing the pain. "Isn't…isn't he going to – ?" She couldn't finish and turned to them helplessly. "I mean, I yelled at him and burnt dinner."

The siblings shared an uncomfortable look. Kankurou rubbed his chin and refused to meet her eyes. "Shit, is that what you're crying about? If he was really mad about that he would have done something straight away. I doubt he cared."

Leelu rejected this explanation immediately. Gaara had _clearly_ cared – she'd never been exposed to such concentrated, simmering hatred in her life.

"Don't worry about it," Temari said coolly, holding up her bowl, "Your cooking is so bad the charred bits were a welcome improvement."

Kankurou snorted, but didn't disagree. Leelu was stunned enough to stop crying. She blinked down at Gaara's leftovers. "Really?"

"No. That was a joke to make you feel better."

Leelu startled at the deadpan admission and looked up to find them watching her, something sincere about their intensity. She knew they wouldn't interfere if Gaara saw fit to harm her…

But, she realized, nor would they relish her suffering. Perhaps they'd even regret it. The small comfort was enough to make her smile shyly. "Very funny."

The broken thing inside was temporarily soothed.

Blood dripped unnoticed from her fingertips.

* * *

 **A/N:** So, this chapter addresses the nature of the Sand Sibling's relationship in my headcanon. Whaddaya think?


End file.
